License management system

• US 9,135,778 B2
• Filed: 10/31/2008
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/09/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LNW Gaming Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Bally Gaming Incorporated (Scientific Games Corporation)
• Inventors: Patel, Pravinkumar
• Primary Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US12/263,342
• Publication Number:
  US 20090124374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,510 Days
• Field of Search: 705 50- 79
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/32 for games, toys, sports, or amusements
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/323 wherein the player is informed, e.g. advertisements, odds, instructions
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 17/3241 Security aspects of a gaming system, e.g. detecting cheating, device integrity, surveillance computer security G06F21/00

Abstract

The license manager provides an automated process that reduces the need for human interaction associated with licensing components, distribution of the same, product distribution, debugging, product building, assembly, installation, configuration and maintenance. In addition, there is an interface for use by regulators that allows the regulators to test and to receive notifications from the license manager. Finally, there is a third party interface to facilitate equipment add-ons to the system. The license management system provides enablement/disablement of software products, generation and maintenance of accounting records, and logs for licenses that are generated and distributed throughout the system. An audit trail is also created that includes who authorized the purchase of the license, as well as audit trails relating to different system levels to verify system security. Finally, a change notification system provides for the control of any changes to the system and monitors these changes on a multi-tiered level within the system.

Claims

1. A license management system for providing centralized management of licenses in a gaming environment site, the system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices;

a site software license database;

a site operator system including one or more servers programmed to a site license manager, a local site distribution center, and a system management control station, wherein the site operator system receives one or more license requests from one or more of the plurality of gaming devices, each license request having an associated authorization code;

a central software database that stores licenses;

a central host server that is in communication through a network with the site operator system, wherein the central host server is configured to define a license manager, a central distribution center, and a billing manager,

wherein the central host server receives one or more license requests from the site operator,

wherein only the central license manager configures one or more of the licenses stored at said central software database by communicating with the central distribution center in response to the central host server receiving the one or more license requests from the local site operator,

wherein the configured one or more licenses are transmitted through the billing manager to the site software license database, wherein the site license manager retrieves the one or more configured licenses stored on the site software license database and transfers the one or more configured licenses to the one or more gaming devices associated with the one or more license requests; and

a system operator server that is responsible for the creation of the licenses stored in the central software license database,

wherein the system operator server communicates to the billing manager and the central software license database through said network;

wherein the license management system authorizes a purchase of one or more licenses by one or more license requests, creates an authorization code for each license request, places each authorization code in the central distribution center, and informs the site license manager of each authorization code generation, and

wherein the site license manager evaluates each authorization code and each license request, determines whether each authorization code and each license request for a license should be accepted based on a predetermined license policy, and accepts each authorization code and each license request if in accordance with the license policy, and in response to license policy approval, downloads each approved authorization code to the gaming device associated with the license request and includes each approved authorization code to enable play of a game associated with each approved authorization code.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the license management system generates and maintains accounting records.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the license management system generates an audit trail that includes who authorized the purchase of the license.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the license management system generates and maintains logs for licenses that are generated and distributed throughout the system.

5. A license management system for providing centralized management of licenses in a gaming environment site, the system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices;

a site software license database;

one or more site servers configured to define a site license manager, a site distribution center, and a system management control station,

wherein the site license manager receives a license request from a gaming device, and

wherein the site license manager responds to the license request by relaying the license request;

a central software license database that stores licenses;

a central host server that is networked through an Ethernet connection to the one or more site servers,

wherein the central host server is configured to define a central license manager, a central distribution center, and a billing manager, wherein the central host server receives the relayed license request from the site license manager, wherein only the central license manager configures a stored license by communicating with the central distribution center in response to the central host receiving the relayed license request from the site license manager,

wherein the central host sends the configured license through the billing manager to the site license manager which stores the configured license at the site distribution center; and

wherein the site license manager retrieves the configured license stored on the site software license database;

a system operator server that is responsible for the creation of the licenses stored in the central software license database, the licenses being in accordance with a license policy,

wherein the system operator server communicates to the billing manager and the central software license database through said Ethernet connection;

wherein the site distribution center transfers the configured license to the gaming device associated with the license request, and enables the gaming device to install the configured license and commence game play.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the license management system generates and maintains accounting records.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the license management system generates an audit trail that includes who authorized the purchase of the license.

8. The system of claim 5, wherein the license management system generates and maintains logs for licenses that are generated and distributed throughout the system.

9. A license management system for providing centralized management of licenses in a gaming environment site, the system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices;

a site software license database;

a site operator defined by one or more servers configured to include a site license manager, a site distribution center, and a system management point console,

wherein the site license manager receives one or more commands that include license requests for products with associated license numbers,

wherein the license request originate from one or more of the plurality of the gaming devices;

a central software database that stores licenses; and

a central host server that is networked through a secure Ethernet connection to the site operator,

wherein the central host server is configured to define a central license manager, a central distribution center, and a billing manager, wherein the central host server receives commands from the site operator,

wherein the central license manager receives all of the license requests associated with the commands and checks and clears the central software license database, and

wherein only the central license manager prepares the central distribution center to be available for access by the site license manager; and

a system server that is responsible for the creation of the licenses stored in the central software license database,

wherein the system server communicates one-way to said billing manager and the central software license database through an Ethernet connection;

wherein the central license manager sends billing requests to said billing manager, the site operator and the local license manager are notified that all licenses requested by the site operator are available, in place at the central distribution center, and ready for download,

wherein the system management point console is notified that the site operator has the permission to access and retrieve the requested licenses, and

wherein the requesting gaming devices are instructed to download and install the product and associated licenses from the site operator and the site license manager which accessed and retrieved the requested licenses from the central distribution center to enable the products on the gaming devices.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the license management system generates and maintains accounting records.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein the license management system generates an audit trail that includes who authorized the purchase of the license.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein the license management system generates and maintains logs for licenses that are generated and distributed throughout the system.

13. A license management system for providing centralized management of licenses in a gaming environment site, the system comprising:

a plurality of gaming devices at said site;

a site software license database;

a site operator that includes a site license manager server, a site distribution center server, and a system management point console,

wherein the site license manager server receives license requests from gaming devices using the system management point console, and requests licenses associated with the license requests be sent from a central distribution center to the gaming devices;

a central software license database that stores the licenses;

a central host server that is networked through a secure Ethernet connection to the one or more servers of the site operator,

wherein the central host server is configured to define a central license manager, a central distribution center, and a billing manager,

wherein the central host server responds to the relayed request for the licenses from the site license manager server,

wherein only the central license manager configures the stored licenses by communicating with the central distribution center in response to the central host server receiving the relayed license requests,

wherein the central host server sends the configured licenses to the site license manager server, which stores the configured licenses on the site distribution center server, and

wherein the configured licenses are transferred to the gaming devices via the site distribution center server, and installed on the gaming devices thereby enabling game play.